Carrie Fisher sent a cow's tongue to a producer after he sexually assaulted her friend

As the list of women accusing Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct grows, a close friend of the late actress has spoken about her own experience of sexual assault in Hollywood.

Speaking to a US radio program, screenwriter Heather Ross said an unnamed Oscar-winning producer (not Weinstein) climbed on top of her in a car years ago and allegedly began making unwanted sexual advances.

Heather says she detailed the assault to Carrie, who was furious and expressed her zero-tolerance policy when it came to that kind of behaviour.

But it didn't stop there. Soon enough, the Star Wars star decided to take matters into her own hands.

"About two weeks later, [Carrie] sent me a message online and said, 'I just saw [him] at Sony Studios. I knew he would probably be there, so I went to his office and personally delivered a Tiffany box wrapped with a white bow,'" Heather recalled of Carrie, who died at the age of 60 in December 2016 after suffering cardiac arrest.

Image: Getty

"I asked her what was inside and she said, 'It was a cow tongue from Jerry's Famous Deli in Westwood with a note that said, 'If you ever touch my darling Heather or any other woman again, the next delivery will be something of yours in a much smaller box!'" Heather recounted.

While Carrie's take-no-prisoners attitude is hardly surprising, it's a gesture that will stay with Heather forever.

"It felt validating to know... this woman who I love as a friend was not just a fake Hollywood friend," she said, reflecting on the situation. "That's who she was -- she spoke out and put things out there in your face."